Rodents Are Eating Roots of Strawberry Plants

Picking strawberries when ripe will help keep pests at bay.

Strawberry plants provide fresh, delicious fruits from your backyard. They also act as an open invitation for various pests, such as rodents, which will feast on all parts of the plant, including its roots. These vermin can cause varying degrees of damage to the strawberry and -- in extreme circumstances -- threaten the life of the plant.

Mice

Mice are an unfortunate problem both inside and out. They can infest your home and garden, feeding on your food and plants. They are master swimmers, jumpers and climbers, surviving in temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit and squeezing into openings much smaller than their body size. Mice chew on the roots and bark of young trees as well as fruit and vegetable plants. They will also move on to more tender areas of the plants such as foliage and fruits.

Voles

Voles look similar to house mice but have a rounded snout, rounded head, smaller ears and shorter tail then the average house mouse. Their coats are dark brown with gray fur on their bellies. Voles feast on plants of all species including strawberries and other crops. They readily munch on fruits during the plant’s growing season but will move on to the strawberry roots in the fall, winter and spring until their bellies are full. Clumps of grass sounded by grass clippings and green or brown rice-shaped feces is a sign that voles are infesting your garden.

Moles

Moles are sometimes accused of causing damage to strawberry roots even though they are insectivores, don't eat plants and aren't classified as rodents. They can, however, disrupt the roots by digging tunnels under the plant. Furthermore, plant-feeding rodents such as voles use old mole tunnels to get to plant roots without having to dig new tunnels. Moles have pointed slender snouts and short tails. Their front and back limbs are short, with a spadelike shape. Their front feet are larger than their back and have long claws made for digging through soil. Moles can be controlled with traps, repellants and baits.

Trapping

Both mice and voles can be trapped using everyday mousetraps for home use. Peanut butter placed underneath the pressure trigger helps prevent the rodent from taking the food without setting the trap. Once baited, place the trap against the bottom of the rodent’s tunnel or a visible runway and align the trap at a right angle. Check the trap once a day and remove any dead rodents and re-bait, if needed until you're not catching any more. Placing slices of apples in the rodent’s tunnel in the spring will help determine if your garden is infested once again with these pests. If the apple slices show signs of chewing, place freshly baited traps in the tunnel once again.

Repellents

Commercial rodent repellents containing thiram help to keep mice, voles and other pests away from your strawberry plants. These repellants have their own specific instructions that you must follow to maximize its effectiveness and prevent injury to the plants. Another option is to eliminate the rodent’s habitat and hiding areas by keeping areas with high grass mowed and your yard neat and free of weeds. Protecting the strawberry plants with barriers -- such as fencing -- is another option to keep rodents from eating your plants. However, these barriers typically protect the leaves and stems of the strawberry plant and do nothing to protect the roots.

About the Author

Amanda Flanigan began writing professionally in 2007. Flanigan has written for various publications, including WV Living and American Craft Council, and has published several eBooks on craft and garden-related subjects. Flanigan completed two writing courses at Pierpont Community and Technical College.